The present invention relates to a cold plate system for a potable ice dispenser which maintains a supply of ice in a hopper free from any contamination by a cold plate and in a sterile condition, yet ensures that the cold plate is continually cooled by ice from the hopper without manual intervention.
In the food and beverage service industries it is desirable to provide means for expeditiously dispensing a quantity of ice, for example into a glass to facilitate service of ice water and cold beverages to customers. Conventionally, the means comprises an ice dispenser, which for commercial application usually includes a hopper for storing a quantity of crushed, cracked, flaked or cubed ice, an ice maker for manufacturing ice for the hopper, a thermostat on the hopper in proximity to the point of entry of ice for sensing the level of ice, and an agitator for the mass of ice to prevent congealing or agglomeration in order to maintain the ice particles in discrete, free flowing form. An opening at the bottom of the hopper enables ice to be removed from the hopper, for example by a dispensing unit which automatically dispenses a measured quantity of ice.
In order to precool a beverage before dispensing so that it is not excessively diluted by melt down of added ice, or in the event that a customer desires his beverage without ice, the beverage may conveniently be made to flow through a cold plate prior to dispensing. A cold plate usually consists of a cast aluminum plate of rectangular shape and in which is embedded stainless steel tubing through which the beverage is flowed. Cold plates conventionally are installed either in separate ice pans or in the bottom of potable ice bins, and are maintained covered with ice to cool the cold plate itself and therefore a beverage flowing therethrough. Should the cold plate be in a separate ice pan, it is then necessary to continuously monitor the quantity of ice in the pan and to manually add ice as necessary. In the case where the cold plate is in the bottom of a potable ice bin for an ice dispenser, an ice maker associated with the dispenser maintains the cold plate immersed in ice, so that operator supervision and intervention is not required. A difficulty that arises in the latter situation, however, concerns the questionable cleanability of the cold plate surfaces and within the junctures between the cold plate and the ice bin, which can lead to contamination of the ice and violations of health and sanitation codes. In addition, ice bins are ordinarily of round and/or irregular configuration, which makes installation of cold plates in the bottom of ice bins extremely difficult, if not impossible.